Device for rapidly drying hair



April 5, 1949. r F. o. CONILL 2,456,535

' DEVICE FOR RAPIDLY DRYING HAIR 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 17, 1947 P" M] A F. O. CONILL DEVICE FOR RAPIDLY DRYING HAIR April 5, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 17, 1947 April 5,1949. F. o. CONILL 9 1 7 DEVICE FOR RAPiDLY DRYING HAIR Filed July 17; 194.7 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented Apr. 5, 1949 OFFICE 2366535 r x y DEVICE FORRAPIDLY DRY ING HAIR :Fernan Oscar Conill, Cannes, France Application July 17, 1947, Serial No. 761,503 In France May 6, 1942 Claims.

It is known that in general hair is dried by evaporating theliquid content therein by means of superheated air directed onto the hair. A drawback of this procedure is that the drying operation, even in themost highly perfected apparatus, canin no case last less than 30 or 40 minutes.

In my French patent application,.filed June 8, 1940, for Method of and means for drying hair I have suggested a method of drying requiring only from 3 to 6 minutes and consisting of sweeping the wet; hair with dry compressed air which is then suddenly allowed to expand and so car; ries away with it the liquidcontained in the hair. However in the practical embodiment .of appa ratus designed to. carry such method into p ractice, certain difiiculties are met with inmaint'ain ing the human head under the helmet under sufficient pressure. a r,

The device according .to my present invention eliminates those drawbacks, by a suitable com bination of the two basic principles which have just been recalled, drying being obtained on the one hand by sweeping the hairwith aviolent blast of air and on the other hand by a rapid evaporation, at a predetermined temperature, under the action of a partial vacuum created within the helmet, such combination making possible to effect a drying operation in a few minutes while avoiding the sensation of cold derived from a rapid evaporation.

One embodiment of the device according to this invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, some portions being in cross section, of the general assembly of my improvedapparatus. a

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section at a larger scale of the helmetportionof the device.

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections, in planes displaced 90 from each other, of a valve device adapted for use with said helmet. H v

My improved apparatusessentially comprises a helmet l extended rearwardly by a casing 2 and connected with a pillar 3 adjustable in vertical height, throughthe agency of a fork 4 and .a blocking knob 5, and a base 6,"preferably mounted on 'rollers'and receiving the pi1lar.3 as wellas various members to be described hereunder..

. The helmet, aside from the main external shell l, comprises two other shells'l and 8 (Fig.2) The space defined between the two last-mentioned shells is sealed at its ends andthe shell 8 which is adjacent the head is perforated with a multi plicity of minute holes 9. Moreover a plurality 2 orlsmall tubes lil -connect the shell 8 with the shell 1 and open into the chamber defined between the shells 1 and I. Each of those tubes contains a valve 9 of any suitable type and one preferred embodiment of which will be described hereinafter. IThe number of those tubes each provided with itsvalve may be varied at will. Itmay be for example equal to 20, while only four have been illustrated in Fig. 2 for the sake of simplicity. The space defined between. the shells. I and 'l is air-tight and for that purpose is sealed at its rearby means of a partition or septum J2 separating" it from the remainder of the casing 2 containing, the compressed air heating and distributing devices. At its bottom said spaceterminates in a tube 13 over which a flexible hose [4 .is adapted to be fitted (Figs. 1 and 2) leading to a suction turbine l5 driven from an electric motor 16 connectedwith a source of current through the conductor 11 with the inter-. posal of a general switch IS. The assembly comprising the turbine, motor and switch is housed inla casing .l 9 supported by the base or carriage 6. Apertures such as 20 provide for the discharge of the gases and vapours aspirated by the turbine I5. A tube 2|. of rubber for example protects the head from the metal parts of the helmet.

The lower casing l9, further contains a turbine 22 driven from the same motor I6 as the turbine I 5. .Saidturbine 22 being adapted to aspirate air at 23 and discharge it through the holes 24 into an electric heater 25 arranged within the casing 2. The heated air the tempera: ture of which may be controlled by means of a thermometer 25 is directed through the conduit 21 extending through, and tightly sealed With respect to the septum l2, then through branch conduits into the space defined between the shells l and 1.

The general line current supply I! connects through a flexible conductor 28 with the electric apparatus housed in the casing 2. This apparatus comprises essentially an electric switch 29 actuated by means of a button 30 adapted to be operated by an eccentric 3! carried by the control arm of a variable resistor 32. Said switch 29 is connected at one side with the resistor 32 controlled from the external knob 33 and at its other side with the variable resistor 34 controlled from an externalknob 35. The variable resistor 32 is connected with the terminals of the air heater 25 and enables adjustment of the heating temperature which could also be maintained constant through the use of a thermostat device as well-known. By means of the variable resistor 34'it is possible to adjust the speed of rotation of the electric motor 36 of an electric distributor 31 of any suitable type allowing current to be fed into the various exhaust valves II (see Fig. 2).

Said valves may be of any suitable type. One preferred embodiment of a particularly simple construction is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The valve structure comprises a tube of nonmagnetic metal 38 threadedly engaging the end of a tube HI interconnecting the shells and 8, with the interposal of a seal ring 39. Internally said tube 38 comprises two oppositely directed fulcrum points 40 around which a butterfly valve 4| is adapted to rotate, said butterfly valve being normally maintained in closing position (see Fig. 3) by means of a traction spring 42, secured at one end to the butterfly member at 43 and at its other end to the tube 38 at 44. Externally of the tube 38 is coiled a solenoid 45 rigid therewith and connected through wires 46 and 41 with the distributor 31. The butterfly member being made of a magnetic material such as soft iron, the electromagnetic action produced by the solenoid when an electric current flows through it results in bringing the butterfly valve 4| in a direction parallel with the lines of force of the field thus created, that is parallel with the line X. Consequently the butterfly valve 4 I, while being normally closed under the action of the spring 42, is opened against the action of said sprin when a current flows through' the solenoid 45.

The devic operates as follows: The apparatus being connected with the supply and the switch l8 being closed both turbines l and 22 are started. The knob 33 is rotated so as to bring the eccentric 3| into engagement with the push botton 30, allowing current to be supplied to the heater 25 and th motor 36 of the distributor 31. As a result, under control of the distributor 31, the solenoids 45 are periodically energized, each time causing the related valve H to open. The discharge turbine 22 being operated, compressed air, heated at 25, penetrates the spaces defined between the shells I and 8, flows through the apertures 9 in the latter shell, and actively sweeps over the hair maintaining the atmospher surrounding the head at a predetermined temperature. At the same time however, under the action of the suction turbine I5, a partial vacuum is created in the chamber defined between the shells vI and l, and the capacity of that chamber being relatively large, as one of the valves H is opened the speed of the air sucked therethrough is so great as to produce around the inlet a vacuum causing a rapid evaporation, the vapor particles of the liquid are instantaneously aspirated. Moreover the heat produced by the air from the heater 25 counteracts the cold produced by such rapid evaporation while at the same time facilitating it.

It will be seen that the rate at which the valves I] are successively opened may be controlled through adjustment of the variable resistor 34 and the degree to which the air is heated maybe controlled through the variable resistor 32, and it is thus possible to obtain the optimum effect in each individual case according to the amount and inherent character of the hair being treated.

It will of course be undestood that modifications may be mad in the device just described and illustrated without exceeding the scope of the invention. Thus in certain instances, it may be desirable to dispose the turbines and their auxiliary devices at .a certain distance from the '4 helmet, as for example in the basement of a department store or the like.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for drying hair in combination a first shell generally surrounding said hair to define a first enclosure therewith, a second shell surrounding said first shell defining therewith a second and air-tight enclosure, a third shell surrounding said second shell and defin ing therewith a third and likewise air-tight enclosure, said third shell having a portion extending away from said second shell to define a rearwardly projecting casing therewith, a multiplicity of small inlet apertures from said second enclosure through said first shell into said first enclosure, a plurality of outlet apertures from said first enclosure opening into said third enclosure, an exhaust valve associated with each of said outlets, supporting means for the structure comprising said shells and said casing including an adjustable standard pivoted to said structure and resting on a movable base, in said casing an electrical air-heater, temperature control means associated with said air-heater, and means for successively automatically actuating each of said exhaust valves, on said base a blower means, a suction creating means and power means to opcrate both said blower and suction means, airconnections from said blower means to said airheater means, from said air-heater into said second enclosure and from said suction creating means into said third enclosure.

2. In an apparatus for drying hair in combination three successive shells surrounding said hair, a first shell defining with said hair a first and vented enclosure, a second shell defining with said first shell a second airtight enclosure, a third shell defining with said second shell a third and likewise air-tight enclosure, said third shell having a portion extending away from said second shell to form a rearwardly projecting casing, a multiplicity of small apertures through said flrst shell, a plurality of outlets from said flrst into said third enclosure with an exhaust valve in each of said outlets, adjustable supporting means for the structure comprising said three shells and said casing, electrical air-heating means in said casing, temperature control means for said air-heater, electric supply connections for said heater and a variable resistor in said connections having adjusting means projecting from out of said casing, automatic actuating means for actuating each for said exhaust valves in succession including a rotary switch and an electric motor for said switch in said casing, electric supply connections for said switching motor and a. variable resistor in said motor-supplying connections having an adjusting knob projecting from out of said casing to adjust the rate of successive operations of said exhaust valves, a suction .air pump and a blower air pump, and air connections from said suction pump to said third enclosure and from said blower pump to said heater and from said heater to said second enclosure.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said blower and said vacuum pump are supported on said base and an electric motor for driving both said pumps is also supported on said base.

4. In an apparatus for drying hair in combination .a first shell generally surrounding said hair to define a first and vented enclosure therewith, a secondshell surrounding said first shell defining therewith a second and air-tight enclosure, a third shell surrounding said second shell and defining therewith a third and airtight enclosure. said third shell having a portion extending away from said second shell to define therewith a rearwardly projecting casing, a multiplicit of small apertures through said first shell, a plurality of outlets from said first into said third enclosure with an electro-magnetically actuated exhaust valve in each outlet, each of said valves comprising, a valve-casing secured around said outlet and extending into said third enclosure, a solenoid coiled around said valve-casing and a butterfly valve member rotatably mounted in said casing made of magnetic metal, adapted to be rotated to open. position as said solenoid is energised, and spring-means for biasing said butterfly member to closed position, energizing circuit connections for all of said solenoids, a rotary switching means so interposed in said circuit connections that as said switching means is r0- tated an individual one of said solenoids is energized in succession, said switching means being arranged in said casing, an electric motor in said casing for rotating said switching means, supply connections for said motor including a rheostat for adjusting the rate of rotation of said switching motor and thereby the rate operation of said exhaust valves, the operating knob of said rheostat projecting from out of said casing, an air-heater in said casing with related temperature control and supervision means, electric supply means for said heater including a rheostat adapted to adjust the degree of heating effected thereby, said last-mentioned rheostat also having an adjusting knob projection from out of said casing, an adjustable support for the structure ineluding said shells and said casing, a base for said support, an air-suction pump and an airblower pump and means for driving both said pumps and air-connections from said blowerpump through said heater to said second enclosure and from said third enclosure to said suction means.

5. In a device for drying hair a first chamber substantially encasing the hair, the internal wall of which comprises a multiplicity of small apertures, a second air tight chamber surrounding said first chamber, means for continuously delivering dry heated compressed air into said first chamber, means for creating a strong vacuum in said second chamber, a plurality of passages distributed throughout the internal wall of said second chamber and establishing a communication between said second chamber and the hair, valves associated with said passages, and timing means for opening each of said valves in suc cession.

F'ERNAN OSCAR CONILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,720,301 Suter July 9, 1929 1,784,139 Gunter et a1. Dec. 9, 1930 2,008,864 Hamilton July 23, 1935 2,027,061 Olsen Jan. 7, 1936 2,037,695 Brownlee et al Apr. 21, 1936 2,444,481 Watkins July 6, 1948 

